2012 SIREN – OBAMA’S NUMBER: $86 MILLION – The Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee raised a combined $86 million between April and June, blowing past the $60 million goal set by both groups at the start of the fundraising quarter. Obama campaign manager Jim Messina announced the total in a video released before dawn Wednesday, touting the 552,462 donors who contributed and claiming “more grassroots support at this point in the process than any campaign in political history.” “We did this from the bottom up. We didn’t accept one single dollar from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACs,” Messina said. “We have reason to be proud of what we’ve built so far … Your job, my job, our job is to bring more people into this campaign.” Of the $86 million raised, Messina said over $47 million went into the coffers of Obama for America and more than $38 million went to the DNC. The average donation was $69.

Story Continued Below

MORE – SWAMPING THE FIELD – The $86 million raised for Obama’s reelection easily doubles – and nearly triples – all the major GOP candidates to announce so far, combined. While there are a few Republicans who haven’t shared their numbers, including Michele Bachmann, the group that includes Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, Jon Huntsman and Newt Gingrich has taken in just $33.1 million. But Messina warns in his video message that the fundraising landscape is still challenging for Democrats, since “GOP outside spending for 2012 could be as much as $500 million.” Watch the full announcement here: http://bit.ly/nvwYIF

FIRST IN SCORE – RNC PICKS FOUR BATTLEGROUNDS – The Republican National Committee is going up with the second ad in its month-long television campaign blasting President Barack Obama on the economy. This time, the RNC is on the air in four swing states – Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and New Hampshire – with a commercial contrasting Obama’s words in the 2008 campaign with the current state of the nation. RNC political director Rick Wiley has penned a memo explaining why those states are prime targets for GOP messaging: “Obama easily won these states by an average margin of 13 points in 2008, and together they’ve mustered only one win for a GOP Presidential nominee in the last five Presidential elections (George W. Bush carried New Hampshire with 48% in 2000). But recent polling in these states, and overwhelming GOP victories in 2010, shows Obama isn’t just weaker than he was in 2008, but he is in real danger of losing electoral votes.”

LET’S GO TO THE VIDEOTAPE: The RNC ad features a clip of Obama declaring in his 2008 convention speech, “The fundamentals we use to measure economic strength are whether we are living up to that fundamental promise that has made this country great.” This text runs on the screen: “Six million more foreclosures … 3.7 trillion added to national debt … 2.1 million more unemployed … 3 million more bankruptcies … ‘Tidal wave … federal government regulations’ ... More debt. More unemployment. More government. Change direction.” Watch the ad here: http://bit.ly/pimWrx

SENATE SNEAK PEEK – MANDEL RAISES $2.3M – Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel will report bringing in more than $2.3 million for his Senate campaign during the last fundraising period – the highest second-quarter figure that any Senate challenger has announced to date. Mandel, who was first elected to statewide office last year, even narrowly beat out former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, a former national party chair who raised $2.25 million for the Virginia Senate race. A former state legislator and Iraq War veteran, Mandel has faced some skepticism about his prospects against Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. But in the second three months of the year, Mandel handily outraised Brown, who brought in $1.5 million for his reelection and had $3.5 million in the bank.

As Henry Barbour picks a new favorite, Mitt Romney declines to pledge and Ohio gets in on the straw poll action, here’s POLITICO’s Morning Score: your daily guide to the permanent campaign.

BREAKING OVERNIGHT – HAHN WINS, WIS. ADVANCES – California’s special congressional election ended without a shock upset or anything close, as Los Angeles Councilwoman Janice Hahn defeated Republican Craig Huey by approximately 9 percentage points. The result keeps former Rep. Jane Harman’s House seat in Democratic hands and puts an end to several weeks of speculation about a possible July surprise in the low-turnout race. The only other elections last night were in Wisconsin, where Democrats nominated their favored candidates for the summer state Senate recalls, also without any surprises. http://lat.ms/o3rFPW and http://bit.ly/oEdzyh

THE GENERAL BEGINS – The voting in Wisconsin means the general election campaign has now begun in half a dozen GOP-held state Senate districts. And as the real fight gets underway, EMILY’s List is already up with a tough new ad targeting incumbent Sen. Dan Kapanke. The 30-second spot follows a black Lincoln Town Car down a rural road, showing it driving past a group of ordinary people seated at a table by the roadside. The narrator: “Who didn’t get left behind by Sen. Kapanke? Big corporations and the super rich, who got $200 million in tax breaks.” Watch it here: http://bit.ly/qWMGWZ.

POPPING IN IOWA – SANTORUM GETS LEHMAN – Republican National Committeewoman Kim Lehman, a high-profile social conservative activist in Iowa, will throw her support today behind former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum’s presidential campaign. She becomes the first RNC member from an early presidential state to endorse in the race. POLITICO’s Dan Hirschhorn had the story first: “Lehman is deeply influential with the first-caucus state’s anti-abortion activists, thanks to a decade at the helm of the Iowa Right to Life Committee. Santorum’s campaign is hoping the network she brings from years of building up the state’s anti-abortion movement and her ties throughout the state party organization will give his trailing campaign a more formidable presence at the Ames straw poll next month. ‘I believe that he lives and breathes his conservative politics, he fights for them, and he’s a well-rounded candidate,’ [Lehman] told POLITICO.” http://politi.co/qIn0LU

ONE MONTH UNTIL AMES! GET YOUR TICKET TODAY: The make-or-break event for the handful of Republicans staking their candidacies on Iowa is now just a month away. The Iowa GOP begins issuing tickets today, allowing campaigns to ramp up the process of organizing their supporters. State Party Chairman Matt Strawn (@mattstrawn) tweeted this picture of the Ames tickets here: http://bit.ly/prNC9I

NEARBY – ROMNEY REBUFFS FAMILY LEADER – The former Massachusetts governor became the latest 2012 candidate to decline to sign the controversial Iowa social conservative pledge. The Family Leader pledge, which is ostensibly focused on fighting same-sex marriage, also includes sweeping language about divorce and pornography, and initially had an incendiary reference to slavery, too. AP’s Tom Beaumont has the explanation from Boston: “Andrea Saul, a spokeswoman for Romney, told The Associated Press in a written statement Tuesday that Romney ‘strongly supports traditional marriage,’ but that the oath ‘contained references and provisions that were undignified and inappropriate for a presidential campaign.’” Bachmann and Santorum have already signed. http://bit.ly/nMhEAm

WHAT THE CANDIDATES ARE UP TO: Michele Bachmann joins Iowa Rep. Steve King for an 11 a.m. press conference on King’s bill to “prioritize spending in case the federal government exceeds its ability to borrow.” Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum are both in South Carolina: Gingrich speaks at the summer meeting of the South Carolina Electronic Cooperative in Charleston, while Santorum is addressing three events, starting with a gathering of Republican women in Myrtle Beach.

THE DEBT CEILING DEBATE – NEWT VS. MITCH – Talks continue in Washington today over how to raise the national debt limit before a rapidly approaching deadline. The next dividing line for 2012 candidates may be a proposal from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, which would give President Barack Obama the power to raise the debt ceiling himself. The idea has already split the right and prompted a harsh attack from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who accused McConnell of “trying to find a way out of the current fight” and declared on Fox that the proposal represented “surrender by the Republicans.” Will any 2012-ers disagree? Here’s a CNN report on Newt: http://bit.ly/nUK3bQ ; and here’s the Wall Street Journal strongly backing McConnell: http://on.wsj.com/p7vihO

THE BIGGEST 2012 QUESTION – “What’s Rick Perry waiting for?” – POLITICO’s Jonathan Martin asks and answers: “Those close to Perry say despite the strong hints that both he and his high command are dropping in conversations with senior Republicans—hints that have left party elites in Texas and beyond convinced that Perry will enter the race—the country’s longest-serving governor has not yet made up his mind … Perry has spent the last week calling some of his fellow GOP governors to discuss running, including Mississippi’s Haley Barbour … Henry Barbour, the governor’s nephew and a well-connected Republican player, has been recruiting many of the operatives who had signed up with his uncle. ‘Perry is the most natural fit for us,’ said Barbour … Some of Rudy Giuliani’s top moneymen are also being wooed by Perry, who endorsed and served as a top surrogate for the former New York City mayor in 2008. Former Ambassador Peter Terpeluk, financier Roy Bailey and veteran lobbyist Dirk Van Dongen, each of whom raised cash for Giuliani in 2008, are all attending a meeting of major GOP donors next week in Austin and will attend a dinner with the governor.” http://politi.co/oN9fMW

THE HOUSE CAMPAIGN – NRCC RELAUNCHING YOUNG GUNS – Congressional Republicans are suiting up a new set of Young Guns for 2012, rebooting the candidate recruitment and support program that helped them win the House majority last year. POLITICO’s Alex Isenstadt reports: “So far, over 25 GOP candidates have enrolled in the Young Guns program, including Randy Altschuler of New York and Andy Barr of Kentucky — both of whom are seeking rematches against Democratic incumbents …Also participating is Jackie Walorski of Indiana, another returning 2010 candidate … [T]he program also counts several newcomers, including Brendan Doherty, a former Rhode Island State Police superintendent [and] Montana Republican Steve Daines.” http://politi.co/p2w0Zw

POLL OF THE DAY – PPP BAITS MATHESON – Here’s the takeaway from Public Policy Polling’s test of the Utah Senate race: Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson would be competitive against either top GOP candidate, but no other Democrat could make it close. PPP’s Tom Jensen: “Matheson would lead incumbent Senator Orrin Hatch 45-44 in a head to head, and would hold a wider lead over fellow Congressman Jason Chaffetz at 47-42. … Only 46% of voters approve of Hatch to 43% who disapprove.” http://bit.ly/qm9lzJ

SAVE THE DATE – OHIO’S TURN – Buckeye State Republicans will hold a straw poll of their own at the Republican Party’s big fundraising dinner in Cleveland on July 22. The Dayton Daily News: “Ticket prices range from $10,000 for a ‘Diamond’ ticket for a whole table and other benefits to $100 for a ‘Bronze’ single dinner ticket. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is the speaker for the annual event.” http://bit.ly/nkJX8l

MINNESOTA BULLETIN – SHUTDOWN IMPACTS BEER SUPPLY – We’re in Day 13 of the Minnesota shutdown, still with no end in sight. Both sides are dialing up their messaging: Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton visited a school yesterday and holds shutdown-related events today in Rochester and Albert Lea. The state GOP emailed its list last night asking Republicans to turn out at the governor’s events. But the big talker is about the state’s vanishing beer supply: Coors has to pull all its beer (and related brands) off the shelves since its permit expired. The company says it paid Minnesota the right amount to renew, but new permits were not processed before the shutdown. Local TV report here: http://bit.ly/o7yEYm; and the Star Tribune reports “one by one, bars get tapped out”: http://bit.ly/oknLWJ

CODA – QUOTE OF THE DAY: “If I have a particular enemy running for something I might endorse him just to destroy his chances.” – Former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards in his first formal public appearance since being released from prison http://bit.ly/nSo7Hm

Authors:

About The Author

James Hohmann is a reporter for POLITICO Pro.

He covered the 2012 presidential campaign from start to finish, authoring the daily Morning Score tipsheet for nearly two years as he reported from 23 states over the course of the primaries and general election. Through the fall, he traveled with Mitt Romney.

Hohmann spent 2010 chronicling the Republican Party’s drive to win control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

He arrived from The Washington Post at the end of 2009. Previously he wrote for the Los Angeles Times Washington bureau, the Dallas Morning News and The San Jose Mercury News.

An honors graduate of Stanford University, Hohmann studied American political history. He served as editor-in-chief of The Stanford Daily and wrote an award-winning thesis about the 1976 Republican primaries and the political ascendancy of Ronald Reagan.

Hohmann grew up in Apple Valley, Minn.

About The Author

Alexander Burns is a senior political reporter for POLITICO. During the 2012 campaign, he co-authored POLITICO’s Burns and Haberman blog, which was widely recognized as one of the authoritative resources on the presidential election. Prior to that, Burns created the daily Morning Score political tip sheet and edited the POLITICO44 page. A graduate of Harvard College, where he edited the Harvard Political Review, Burns has appeared on television and radio as a political analyst and has been a guest speaker at New York University, the University of Kansas’s Dole Institute and the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics, among other schools.